


Introducing Eunhyuk to the World (Or the School, at Least)

by haekass



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-04
Updated: 2012-08-04
Packaged: 2020-02-04 14:18:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18606256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haekass/pseuds/haekass
Summary: Lee Hyukjae is the nerdy math genius with an addiction to One Piece. His famous cousin, Kim Heechul is a little tired of that person, and wants him to be Eunhyuk, finally. Hyukjae is kind of nervous about that. Also there's that small matter of the guy he's tutoring in math...





	Introducing Eunhyuk to the World (Or the School, at Least)

**Author's Note:**

> I swore that I would not do a high school AU. Yeah, I saw how well that turned out. I've kept the ages pretty ambiguous, but in my head, they're all at the appropriate age gaps. (Heechul and Teuk are three years older than Hyuk, etc.) Also, I've also kept other pairings very vague (if there at all) so that you, dear reader, can infer which ever OTP makes you happy. 

 

“How's school?”

 

There was silence for a moment, then finally a sigh. “It's okay, I guess, hyung.”

 

“So let me guess, you're still the nerdy math genius with an addiction to _One Piece_ , who disappears every afternoon to presumably go home and you're getting picked on by the popular crowd?”

 

“Not all of them, hyung.” Lee Hyukjae sighed. How his oldest cousin managed to get every scrap of information from five words, he would never know. The phone connection hissed for a second. But then again, his oldest cousin was Kim Heechul – and Heechul could make a stone talk if he wanted.

 

“Oh?” Now Heechul sounded interested, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on how he looked at it. “Tell me who so I can make sure to leave them alone.”

 

“Hyung,” he almost whined. “Just let me handle it, okay? I've grown up and you don't have to always fight my battles for me.” There was dead silence for a long moment, and Hyukjae worried that he might have pissed off his cousin, who doted on him as though they were brothers. “Hyung, I'm sorry...”

 

“No, no, don't be Hyukjae-ah. Hyung knows that even baby cousins grow up, and not much I can do when I'm stuck in China for the next few months.” There was a pause. “I heard that smile through the phone, Hyukjae.”

 

There was no denying that. Hyukjae had a... very unique smile. He was rather embarrassed about his smile, since his gums always showed when he did smile fully, but since there was no one around, he didn't bother to hide it. “How is China, hyung? What's it like?”

 

“Loud and smelly,” Heechul complained, a small bite to his voice. “I hate not being able to converse with people clearly.”

 

“You should get Hankyung-hyung to help you with your Chinese,” Hyukjae teased, knowing that he was one of the few people that could get away with it.

 

There was a loud snort through the phone. “He's too busy trying to woo some girl that his parents introduced him to to help the rest of us.”

 

“Are you jealous, Heenim-hyung?”

 

“Me?! Hardly. This girl isn't nearly as beautiful as I am.”

 

Hyukjae couldn't contain the laugh. His hyung, the diva, being insulted that anyone would insinuate that a young woman was as pretty as what he was.

 

“What? You're saying that I'm not prettier than some girl Hankyung is trying to woo?!”

 

“No, hyung,” Hyukjae laughed. “I know far better than that!”

 

Heechul humphed over the phone. “You have far more sense than others, then. I have to go, manager-hyung is going to yell for us here in a minute.”

 

“All right hyung, you all will do well in China, I know it! Fighting!”

 

“Of course we will, brat. Hang on, Jungsu wants to talk to you.” There was a small shuffle as the phone was handed over, and Hyukjae could barely make out the words “I'm still your hyung,” before a new voice sounded over the line.

 

“Eunhyuk-ah!”

 

Hyukjae grinned at his nickname that management had suggested that he take on as his stage name. “Hi Teukie-hyung,” he greeted, using the elder's stage nickname. “How is China for you?”

 

“About the same for me as Heechul, but not nearly as annoying.” In the background, the manager yelled something incomprehensible. “Really quick, Eunhyuk-ah, you're one of the oldest trainees. Try and keep everyone working hard until we get back?”

 

“Of course hyung. Donghee and I are working hard in your absence.”

 

“Great! We'll be back before you know it.”

 

“I know, hyung. Do well in China! Fighting!”

 

“Fighting!” Jungsu repeated back before he hung up.

 

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Hyukjae sighed. The times he got to talk to the older men were far and few between, and he was grateful for every chance. Pushing his glasses back up, he  cleared his recent calls list and made sure that his cousin's number wasn't anywhere on his phone. Since he was good with numbers, he had Heechul's phone number memorized and didn't see the wisdom in saving it to his phone.

 

Though Heechul had taken great pains to keep his relationship to Hyukjae a secret, there were still some fans who would stop at nothing in an attempt to gain access to one of their favorite celebrities, including digging up Heechul's little cousin and stealing his phone. All they would ever find on it was a boring picture of Luffy from _One Piece_ as his background, and only five saved contacts – his mother and father were only for emergency purposes, and the other three were study partners from school.

 

He looked at the time and sighed. He'd taken precious time out from lunch break to talk to his cousin, and he knew he'd have to be fast if he wanted to get anything to eat before ten that night. Shoving his phone back into his backpack, he shouldered it and sprinted back into the building.

 

 

Three weeks later, Hyukjae was again talking to Heechul. “Hyung, you know I can't fight – I'd be suspended from schooling, and that might cause me to be dropped as a trainee.”

 

“They would never...” Heechul seethed.

 

“Hyung, they can't treat me any differently just because you've debuted and you're my cousin. That wouldn't be fair.”

 

Heechul was in a mood, and Hyukjae wondered what happened with his cousin. “Fuck! If they didn't have us working every fucking day, I would fly back to Korea and give those fucking idiots a swift kick in the goddamn ass!” The tirade went on for another couple of minutes before Heechul seemed to run out of far more inventive cursing than simply repeating the word 'fuck.'

 

“Hyung, it's really not that bad.”

 

“Those idiots are picking on my dongsaeng, it's as bad as I want to let it get,” Heechul growled. “Give me their names.”

 

“Hyung, I can handle it,” he protested.

 

“That's what you told me almost a month ago, Lee Hyukjae.”

 

“I promise, hyung, it's nothing more than a few people teasing me! And if Donghae's around, they don't bother.”

 

There was silence for a second, and Hyukjae winced. He'd been helping one of the soccer team's players with tutoring on the weekends, and the first time Donghae had spoken up in his defense, most of them had quietly left him alone. He didn't want his overprotective cousin – or his band mates, who could be far more overprotective – to know about Donghae. “Who is this Donghae person?”

 

“Hyung, don't worry about it, honestly. The biggest problem I have right now is keeping Kim seonsaeng-nim from signing me up for the annual talent show.”

 

“Yah! Why haven't you done it for the last two years, you idiot?”

 

“Hyung...”

 

Heechul sighed. “Honestly, Hyukjae. Stop being so shy and timid! We'll be getting back to Korea just about that time, and I've convinced the president of the company to come and watch you, and you being outside the studio is a bonus. There's a rumor of him wanting to put together a new group, and you've been a trainee for how long now?”

 

“Five years,” he mumbled.

 

“Right, five years now. Were you planning on staying as a trainee forever, letting those with far less talent go on?”

 

“No, hyung.”

 

“Good. The president hinted that Donghee is also being looked at for this new group.”

 

“What's it going t be named? 'Korea's Most Unattractive?'”

 

“Lee Hyukjae!” Heechul screeched into the phone.

 

He dropped his head forward with a sigh. Donghee wasn't ugly, not at all, he was just heavier than most other idol trainees, but moved with a fluidity and grace that surprised many. Hyukjae, though, he did own a mirror and felt that his looks were abysmal. His jaw was too sharp, he only had single eyelids, and then there was the whole issue with his body – he was too thin and wiry. “Sorry, hyung.”

 

“You'd best be, you brat. Donghee is still older than you, and stop trying to be as beautiful as what I am. You just need a couple more years to grow into your own face.” Heechul sighed, and his voice dropped to his more natural tenor. “Hyuk, please do this for your hyungs. We all want to see you succeed, understood?”

 

“Yes,” he whispered. The times when Heechul became serious enough to try and boost his confidence were extremely rare, and each time touched him deeply. “But I don't really have that great of a singing voice hyung, you know that.”

 

“No but you don't trip over your own words when rapping like Hankyung does. Look, just trust me on this. Stop being Lee Hyukjae for one day and introduce Eunhyuk to the world. Even if you just dance, it will make an impression.”

 

Hyukjae paused for a moment, then sighed. If Heechul had already mentioned his plight to the others – which he almost certainly had – then if he told Heechul no on the idea of the talent performance, then he could expect a call from Jungsu next, and no one told the older man no, especially not when he had that emotional quiver in his voice. And his dream was to eventually make it to the point where he was famous, despite his looks. “All right, hyung, I'll do it.”

 

“Sign up for it today. I still have contacts in your school, Hyukjae, and I'll call tomorrow to make sure that you're listed.”

 

“Hyung!”

 

“Hyukjae, I'm doing this for your own good. Now tell me about this Donghae person.”

 

“Hyung, I need to eat at some point...”

 

“So quit stalling and start talking. Who is this kid?”

 

Knowing that it was pointless to argue, Hyukjae relayed the relevant information. Lee Donghae, his age, just enough months between them to have Donghae in the year below him. Soccer player, friendly, outgoing, popular, considered one of the best looking students at school, yet at times absurdly childish and innocent. He also needed help in math. His favorite movie was _Finding Nemo_ for some absurd reason, and the first time Donghae had heard others picking on Hyukjae, had publicly said that Donghae found him 'kind of handsome.'

 

Heechul listened silently. “I like this kid already. Do you have a crush on him or something, Hyuk?”

 

“What?!” he spluttered and almost fell off of the wall he was sitting on.

 

“God, Hyukjae, I'm not deaf, you're practically writing an ode to him. And remember who you're talking to, brat. I above all know that you're not exactly completely heterosexual.”

 

Hyukjae felt the tips of his ears burn. “Hyung,” he hissed.

 

There was an exasperated sigh on the other end. “Fine, stay in denial! Even Jongwoon has noticed.”

 

“Oh God,” he moaned covering his face. He would never be able to look any of Heechul's band mates in the eye again.

 

“Oh relax, you big crybaby. It's not a huge deal to any of us, but you'll have to hide it a bit better once you become famous.”

 

“I'm hanging up now, hyung.”

 

The last sound he heard was Heechul's cackling laughter. That had definitely been one of the more embarrassing conversations with his hyung. Sprinting back into the school, he hoped that he had enough time to get anything to eat.

 

He was munching on the last strawberry parfait that the snack counter had when he bumped – quite literally – into Donghae.

 

Donghae's wide smile stretched across his face. “Hey Hyukjae!”

 

Swallowing a half-chewed lump of strawberry, he sent the younger a small smile. “Hi Donghae, how are you?”

 

“I'm good! Are you free this weekend? I have a huge test coming up and I need to do well on it.”

 

Hyukjae thought for a second. He and Donghee had made vague plans to practice a new bit of choreography, but it wasn't an absolute pressing matter, and they could easily make time for it at some other point.

 

“I mean, if you are busy, I can study by myself...”

 

“No, you don't have to, I'm free,” Hyukjae quickly assured. “Both Saturday and Sunday or just one day?”

 

Donghae bit his lower lip and shuffled a bit, a pleading look on his face. “Could we do both days? I really, really need to do well.”

 

Hyukjae nodded, feeling his heart beat just a little faster. “Sure thing, Donghae.”

 

Donghae's smile was bright and it made him forget everything for just a moment. “Thanks, Hyukjae, you're the best!”

 

Suddenly, Hyukjae couldn't wait for the weekend. Maybe Heechul was right...

 

 

Hyukjae was nervous as the days counted down to the school's annual talent show. Heechul and the rest had reappeared earlier in the week, and his cousin had been threatening to drag Hyukjae kicking and screaming to the stylist for the past week. He just didn't expect Heechul to follow through on the threat hours before the talent performance.

 

“Hyung!” he protested for what had to have been the thirtieth time.

 

“Hush, Hyukjae,” Heechul muttered as he pushed Hyukjae into a chair. “Actually, stop being Hyukjae for the rest of the day.”

 

The other five members of Heechul's idol group were grouped together, all with nearly demented smiles on their faces. Even Jongwoon, who Hyukjae was convinced floated in his own reality, was clearly focused on the upcoming makeover. Jungsu's unique laugh broke free every so often, which never failed to bring a smile to anyone within hearing distance. “Hyung, I have to be there...”

 

“I already explained to Kim seonsaeng where you would be. You're one of the last to perform, so don't worry, we have more than enough time to get you ready.”

 

“That's what I'm afraid of, hyung,” Hyukjae muttered. “It's going to be difficult enough being on stage by myself, now I'm going to be completely self-conscious about how I look and the president of the company is going to be there...”

 

Heechul delivered a swift whack to his head using a thin magazine. “Hush, monkey. Hyung knows what he's doing. Now listen to me very carefully. For the rest of the night you are not Lee Hyukjae, math whiz. You are Eunhyuk, and Eunhyuk alone. You have the skills, now is the time to use them. Understood?”

 

Hyukjae nodded. He knew what Heechul was trying to get at – that he needed to be the version of him that appeared in the studio – the confident dancing machine that at times made even Hankyung envious. He knew the choreography that he would be performing like the back of his hand – he had certainly practiced it enough, since he developed parts of it for Heechul specifically, and there were times when one of the members had a later schedule, so he filled in until the missing person arrived.

 

“I don't know why you didn't ask that kid you're tutoring to join you, you mentioned that he was a good dancer,” Jungsu said.

 

He felt the tips of his ears once again burn with embarrassment. “Teukie-hyung...” he whined.

 

“Oh leave him be, Jungsu. I don't suppose that you've had much luck asking _your_ crush out on a date, now have you?” Heechul sniped.

 

Surprisingly, Jungsu flushed and shifted uncomfortably while everyone aside from Heechul and Hyukjae laughed at him. Hyukjae decided he really didn't want to know and sent the stylist noona a small smile as she approached.

 

“Ah! I finally get you in my chair Hyukjae-ah!”

 

“That's just it, noona. We're tired of him being Hyukjae. Make him look like Eunhyuk,” Heechul said, flinging himself into the adjacent chair and waving his arms dramatically.

 

She circled him a few times, and Hyukjae bit his lip in nervousness. She really was one of the best stylists in the entire company, able to bring whatever image the concept was out of a person with a simple change of clothes and a new hairstyle. But she'd never been given such vague instructions before.

 

“Red definitely suits the concept of Eunhyuk the best, red for that passionate, fiery nature you try to repress while being Hyukjae. Shorter hair, definitely, to keep out of your eyes while dancing, something that shows off your jawline. It's powerful, and should be shown off.” She tapped her lips for a  moment while Hyukjae rubbed his ears. He hoped it wasn't too short – his other cousins had pulled on his ears often enough as a child, calling them monkey ears.

 

He closed his eyes as she pulled a plastic robe around him and picked up her scissors. He trusted his hyungs and the stylist noonas, but he wondered if it was time to revise that trust.

 

A mere three hours later, the entire styling area looked to be a mess, and Hyukjae could not stop staring in the mirror. Noona had indeed colored his hair red, and cut it far too short for Hyukjae – but he had to agree that his hair better fit the concept of Eunhyuk. She had also done his makeup, adding dark eyeliner and shadowing around his eyes, and the simple black jeans and black jacket over a white tank top made the dark red of his hair really stand out. And as he looked in the mirror, he could see the sharp points of his jaw, and finally had to admit to seeing what others had been telling him.

 

He stretched in a few directions, then shifted his feet to mimic the tricky part of the choreography. He stopped halfway through, frowning. “I need a belt,” he said.

 

“What color and how sparkling?” Heechul immediately replied.

 

“Black, preferably, hyung.”

 

Heechul disappeared into a rack of clothing for a second before reappearing with a plain black belt, the only flash on it was the silver buckle. Hyukjae hoped that it would fit, as they had only a few minutes before they had to leave. Luckily, he was able to fasten it on the last hole, then looked at himself in the mirror again. Heechul appeared behind him, tossing a black fedora on top of his freshly-styled hair.

 

“Kim Heechul, if you destroyed my hard work...”

 

“Relax, noona. You put so much product on his hair, it won't move for the next decade. The hat is for the performance. Let's go, Eunhyuk.”

 

He was completely relaxed through the entire car ride and apologizing to Kim seonsaeng-nim for being a few minutes late to the preparation period, but the nerves swiftly came back as the first performers took the stage. Nervously pacing, he didn't see the back in front of him until he bumped right into it.

 

“Sorry,” he muttered, then got a good look at the face that belonged to the back. “Donghae?”

 

Donghae's eyes widened and his mouth gaped, making him resemble a fish. “Hyukjae?!”

 

Hyukjae smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

 

“Why in the _hell_ am I still hearing that name?” Heechul's voice demanded, and Hyukjae winced. If it was possible, Donghae's eyes widened further.

 

Hyukjae wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. After a moment, Heechul slapped him on the shoulder.

 

“Yah, you brat, I know you were raised with some form of manners!”

 

“Heechul-hyung, meet Lee Donghae. Donghae, this is my cousin, Kim Heechul.” He kept the introductions as short and brief as possible.

 

“Lee Donghae? As in your crus... _ow_!” Heechul's words were cut off by the sudden arrival of Jungsu, who delivered a swift hand upside Heechul's head.

 

“Heenim, stop being annoying.”

 

Hyukjae had his head buried in his hands, his entire body burning with embarrassment. “God, just let me die right now,” he muttered.

 

Jungsu pulled his hands away with one hand while the other wrapped around Heechul's shoulders and neck. “Noona spent a lot of time on you, stop trying to destroy her hard work. Heechul, mind your manners and say hello.”

 

Heechul glared at Jungsu for a long moment before turning back to Donghae and bowing his head slightly, muttered a greeting. Donghae seemed to rouse himself and bowed lowly, giving his elders a proper greeting. Jungsu bowed in response.

 

“Um, would you excuse us? I need to talk to Hyukjae-ssi for a moment.”

 

Jungsu smiled, but his eyes sharpened. “Of course.”

 

“I'm still hearing that name,” Heechul muttered. “ _Eunhyuk_ -ah, we'll be around.”

 

Hyukjae nodded his head. “Of course, hyung.”

 

He watched his hyungs wander out of hearing range, then turned back to Donghae with an apologetic smile. Could knees actually knock together out of nervousness? Because he thought his had just achieved the feat. “Don't mind Heechul-hyung too much...”

 

Donghae looked around, then grabbed Hyukjae's hand. “Come on,” he muttered. Hyukjae let himself be led to a small area under the stage that was deserted, completely confused.

 

“Donghae, really, I'm sorry, Heechul-hyung's mouth...”

 

Donghae held up a finger, and Hyukjae fell silent, his cheeks and ears still burning. “Since I'm pretty sure your famous cousin just told me that you have a crush on me, I'm sure you won't mind me doing this.”

 

Hyukjae's head snapped up just in time for Donghae to pull him roughly forward by the belt and press their lips together. His eyes widened for a moment, wondering if this was really his life, then he remembered that Eunhyuk's life was certainly like this, and he pulled away from Donghae. Spinning them around, he pushed Donghae against the wall, then reattached their lips, nearly snarling into their kiss when Donghae's thin lips parted. Sliding his tongue into Donghae's mouth, he moved closer, one hand cupping that ass that he admired every time Donghae turned around.

 

Finally breaking their kiss for air, Hyukjae stared at Donghae, whose lips were flattened in a smile. “You honestly didn't think I was that dumb in math, did you?” he asked, his hands caressing Hyukjae's jaw.

 

Hyukjae snorted a laugh. “I had to wonder at times.” And he did wonder – he wondered why his lessons never seemed to stick on Donghae's head, and their occasional days on a weekend turned into full weekend tutoring sessions every few weeks, then turned into every single week, to the point where Hyukjae was just assuming that he should show up at Donghae's house early Saturday and Sunday morning.

 

Donghae looked him over. “You're looking very good, Hyukjae.”

 

“Eunhyuk,” he softly corrected. “It's what everyone calls me.”

 

“Eunhyuk, then,” Donghae purred, and he shivered. “Almost makes me want to lock you in a room so you don't go out on stage and I can keep all of this sexy for myself.”

 

“Maybe you can, if you think you can keep up.” Donghae's eyebrows arched, demanding an explanation. “What song do you think I'm dancing to tonight?” Leaning forward, he whispered a single song title into Donghae's ear, noting that the younger shivered. “You said you can dance to it perfectly, think you can still do it? I'd look a little odd dancing to it by myself...”

 

He had actually seen Donghae dancing to the same song he had planned on dancing solo to – but instead of the cut version, he could dance to the full length if Donghae agreed. “How much time before you go up?” Donghae finally asked.

 

“Let's go find out, shall we?”

 

One thing that Heechul had going for him, Hyukjae reminded himself, was that his cousin was extremely witty and fast on the uptake. Which was probably why he was a fast-rising variety idol. He took one look at the two of them, and his lips twitched into a smirk.

 

“I'm glad that you have the good sense to have not rejected my baby cousin, Lee Donghae.”

 

“I'm glad you mentioned it, Kim Heechul,” Donghae replied frankly. “I couldn't have pretended to be dumb forever.”

 

Heechul's smirk grew. “I think I like you already.”

 

Jungsu rolled his eyes expressively. “Please don't flatter his ego too much more, he won't fit into the car at this rate.”

 

Hyukjae coughed as Heechul glared at Jungsu, who impassively stared back. “Hyungs, could you leave the lover's spat for later? I have a small emergency here.”

 

“What is it, Eunhyuk-ah?” Jungsu finally replied, his cheeks flushed just a bit.

 

“How many performers have already gone, and do you think Noona could get here in enough time to get Donghae ready to perform with me?”

 

Heechul didn't reply, just grabbed his arm and dragged him off. “Are you fucking serious? You don't even know if this kid can _dance_ and you're wanting him to perform with you? Are your hormones overriding your senses, Eunhyuk?”

 

He set his hand on Heechul's arm. “Hyung, I've seen him dance – I'm over at his house every weekend all day, and we don't spend every second studying math. I've seen him, and he's every bit as good as Donghee. Hell, hyung, he's almost as good as _me_.” He looked back at Donghae, smiling softly in reassurance. “If this is my shot, then he also deserves one – it was his father's wish that he would at least try.”

 

Heechul was quiet for a moment. Then he waved his fingers. “You, Donghae, get over here.” Donghae nearly fused himself to Hyukjae's side, his eyes wide. Heechul sighed. “Step away from my cousin, you fish. I need to get a good look at you to estimate your size.”

 

Within a few moments, Heechul was on the phone, Donghae was blushing at the quick, efficient frisking the elder had given him, and everyone, including Jongwoon was stifling giggles.

 

“Your cousin is kind of scary,” Donghae whispered.

 

“I know,” Hyukjae replied. He'd grown up with the man, after all. He rubbed a quick hand over Donghae's back. “Sorry I kind of dragged you into this without warning.”

 

“No, you're not,” Donghae replied with a smile.

 

He smiled back, gums and all. “No, I'm not. You're a good dancer, Donghae.”

 

“I'm given to understand that coming from you, that is high praise. You choreographed this song?”

 

“Parts of it, yes. I did the dance solo part for Heechul-hyung and whoever the fanservice flavor of the week is.”

 

“I wish I had seen this side of you sooner, Eunhyuk. We probably could have given everyone a _real_ show,” Donghae muttered while nuzzling his cheek into Hyukjae's neck.

 

Hyukjae breathed deeply through his nose, feeling his blood flow move south. “Keep doing that, and you won't be able to _walk_ , let alone dance.”

 

Donghae chuckled. “My, my don't you move fast? We just kissed, and you're already imagining me in bed? Pervert...”

 

Hyukjae smirked. “You mean the massive porn collection you found on my laptop wasn't a big enough clue?” He noted with satisfaction that Donghae didn't argue about being topped. “Mmm, but I am intrigued by the fact that you're not arguing about being fucked. Talk about being perverted...”

 

Donghae's face flushed, and Hyukjae laughed.

 

“Lee Hyukjae!” Kim seonsaeng called.

 

Both Hyukjae and Donghae bowed. “Yes, Kim seongsaeng-nim?”

 

“Kim Heechul-ssi has informed me that there's a change in your performance?”

 

Hyukjae bowed again. “Yes, Kim seongsaeng-nim. Lee Donghae-ssi and I will both be dancing.”

 

Their teacher laughed. “You are full of surprises today, Lee Hyukjae.”

 

“I'm truly sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you...”

 

A waved hand cut him off. “Not a bother, truly. Kim Heechul-ssi explained why you finally agreed to show off your talent tonight, and I want to see you succeed in your endeavor.”

 

“Thank you, Kim seonsaeng-nim.”

 

“I can only make so many perform before you, will you both be ready?”

 

Hyukjae caught sight of the stylist noona shoving through the crowd, a bag thrown over her shoulder. “We'll be ready to perform when you've scheduled.”

 

“Very good then, prepare yourselves, you have ten minutes.”

 

Both of them bowed lowly to their teacher, then Hyukjae grabbed Donghae and sprinted towards the noona. “Noona, we have ten minutes,” he said.

 

She snorted. “Eunhyuk-ah, I've done more with less time. Who is your friend?”

 

“Lee Donghae,” Donghae introduced himself with a bow.

 

Hyukjae tuned them out as Jungsu tapped him on the shoulder. “Eunhyuk-ah, we're going to take our seats now. Fighting!”

 

“Fighting!” he repeated, feeling the nerves in his stomach.

 

 

His hands were shaking as he climbed the stairs to the stage, but he took a deep breath and pulled the black hat down a little further, obscuring half of his face. This was his stage, and the lights obligingly dimmed as he walked across the platform to take his spot. A single spotlight suddenly illuminated him once he was in position, one hand in the air, the other on the back of his hat, one leg outstretched, the other bent.

 

“You know you want me,” he mouthed along to the English words. His brain stopped feeling any insecurities, stopped feeling anything but the pure freedom that was dancing, his body flowing smoothly, following the beats. He knew the exact moment he could toss his hat across the stage and knew the exact second Donghae stepped on stage with him. The crowd, mostly made up of their classmates, were screaming as the beat changed to something familiar, Jongwoon's quietly powerful voice sounding out.

 

He and Donghae danced together completely in sync, as if they had practiced together for years instead of this being their first time dancing together. He played off of Donghae, feeling the younger do the same with him, and when he heard the notes of the dance solo, his feet slid into the familiar pattern, he taking his cousin's mildly aggressive stance, while Donghae fell immediately to the more passive position.

 

As they settled into the final position, their bodies barely a few centimeters apart, they stared at each other as the music came to an end, and the shrill, excited screams and applause reached their ears. They pulled themselves apart reluctantly to bow their thanks, and Hyukjae knew that they had done well.

 

A quick look at Donghae, and he nearly stumbled over his own feet. It would be a miracle if either of them were walking come Monday.


End file.
